"Richie: the Ultimate Tragedy Between one Decent Man and the Son He Loved"
-- by Thomas Thompson
Richard Diener, a photo sent by the late Lenny Langone
Richard Diener, a photo sent by the late Lenny Langone
Lenny Langone, "Brick" in the book:
Richie's best friend. R.I.P. Lenny.
It's a shame I can't read the article anymore. The print is now too small.
ReplyDeleteI had the same problem at 1st.Then I waited and double clicked on each clipping and it enlarged it.
DeleteCLICK ON EACH IMAGE OF THE ARTICLE TO ENLARGE IT!
ReplyDeleteNow I've found out about true richie may GOD bless
ReplyDeletehim and the friend brick It was a sad movie
Brick had a long life....wasn't he the one to get poor richie hooked? He might still be alive had ha not had such a good friend.
ReplyDeleteDon't speak about what you don't know about. A long life? Do you know how the effects of my father's drug use stayed with him EVERY SINGLE DAY OF HIS LIFE. He never stopped loving or missing Richie. The movie is not 100% accurate. I wasn't even allowed to watch it until I got into my 20's because of the way my dad was portrayed.
DeleteAnd P.S. Richie (RIP) has his own mind as well.
DeleteHi.I spoke to lenny in emails long ago and I truly liked him,and found no lie in him.he was,to me,a man who not only paid his dues but made some great points about the late g.diener and yea,shooting your son to kill and admitting to it is and was a criminal act far sicker than drug use.downers kill,so do guns .I never knew his son nor do I care about his mental issues,but lenny set it right,he murdered his kid.sorry lenny is gone.I wish I had kept in touch.he had one super daughter.peace,bruce.
Deletei read this book in highschool and saw the film on tv in the early 80s.i used to live in deer park but moved to florida(had no choice i was only 5 or 6 in 1971).its interesting that all this was happening not to far away from where i lived.as a 1st grader i remember riding the bus and i think now of what was going on with the big kids.a dilemma that still continues today.
ReplyDeleteI saw the movie as well way back in the early eighties too.It is now on DVD-though the picture quality could be a little better.Yes it truly was a sad movie-especially when Richie taunts his dad to shoot him.Drugs are nothing but a waste of time and lives-I can't understand why so people get too involved with them!
ReplyDeleteIt's called an addiction. And no you couldn't possibly understand unless you had the disease yourself.
DeleteAh, glad to see the school picture of Richie. Lenny had emailed me a copy but my hard drive got erased, and then he passed away, so I didn't think I'd ever see it again.
ReplyDeleteDon't Blame George and Carol Diener for the bad choices Richie made and his so called friend. Unless your a parent watching what drugs are doing to your child, your family and you, you will never understand that day and what went on in that house at that moment. A home is supposed to be a safe haven for the family that lives in it. Do you have any idea what fear day after day can do to people? How they worry when their loved one is out and wondering will they come home then when they are home wondering what they may do to you? As I said when I started to write Bad Choices! Richie's actions destroyed that family in the end... By the way Yes I did Know Carol, George, Richie and Russell our families were friends for ever.
ReplyDeleteAnd the movie itself was another Reefer Madness; I mean, you don't turn into an addict from one puff on a joint.
DeleteOnly takes one
DeleteMurder never solves drug issues; for someone will just take their place. Anyway, the father should have shot the dealer, not his own kid. Robbie Benson played the title role, and believe me, the real Richie doesn't look that handsome, like that matters. (So why mention it then)? I just noticed how hollywood exagerates. Films like that are basically horror movies without blood and monsters. The only monster was the addiction.j
ReplyDeleteThe real Richie, with the right hairstyle and a full beard, would have resembled Ringo Starr, who was also Richard.
DeleteI don't know why people insist on using the word "murder"! This was NOT murder people, it was self defense against an out of control drug addict and as horrific as it had to be for that father to shoot his own child, he was protecting himself and the rest of his family. Had he not, there may have been 4 caskets instead of 1.
ReplyDeleteWe're you There, yeah no you weren't so stfu.
DeleteWe know enough
DeleteKnow what else? The movie didn't even stick to the original location or time period. He was suddenly Richard Werner instead of Diener and suddenly lived in LA instead of LI in the mid '70s instead of the late '60s-early '70s.
ReplyDeleteRichie is dead, Brick is dead, I believe both parents are dead. Who is left to tell the story. I believe brick's daughter is living, I believe Richie's brother is living, and I believe there is a neighbor who was involved. Who can help with details? Who can set the record straight. I was involved in a similar situation, with another case, and usually the truth is very simple. Who can explain the truth?
ReplyDeleteThe father was a hero to his family he iced his son to protect the rest of his family. Mr Deiner Snr we salute you RIP.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Edward Diener, Ben Gazzars did justice to your persona. You will be remembered. God bless you sir. You went against the grain for a noble cause to ensure the safety of your wife, neighbors and other members of the public. You had the foresight to see what could have happened and took the appropriate measures to put a stop to it and for that I salute your actions. RIP sir you have no fault rest easy my friend.
ReplyDeleteBen Gazzara, with no little irony, had played a drug addict 20 years earlier in the stage version of Hatful Of Rain. Maybe the producers took that into consideration when they cast him as the father of one.
DeleteAfter watching reading the book I’ve known families with similar problems and one kid can ruin the lives of so many
ReplyDeleteI wish this had turned out different. But I know from reading the book Richies dad could be a handful and was a tough cookie. Thought he could fight Richie and beat the evil out of him. 10 years earlier he may could have but now late sixties early 70 they were fighting the addiction and just didn’t have an answer
GEORGE DIENER should be given a presidents bravery award.
ReplyDeleteUr right addiction is something some people never understand. I've had my own addiction and I've been through hell and back but I've been clean 6 years now. N I like how u dont bk down n tell it how it is. Ur right there's the truth n the truth ppl want u to know. N ur dad didn't force him or shove drugs down his throat. It seemed to Richie was escaping from family problems not from his friends n mental health. Fod bless u and u have a wonderful day..
ReplyDeleteGod** bless you!!
ReplyDeleteI've seen this movie 3 times and it always brought tears to my eyes every time. And thank you Bricks daughter for explaining how your Dad had a rough time with addiction his whole life.
ReplyDeleteJust finished the book. Excellent read. My thoughts: George Sr was thoroughly justified in the shooting. Richie was not only drug addled but a psychopath as well. Not a good combination. You’ll see other comments on here defending Richie and blasting George. Nuh-uh. We get the picture. Richie just did not come into this world well equipped. Sad and tragic really
ReplyDeleteExactly. A lot of the lefties on here defend Ritchie and attack George. The fact of the matter is…..George, while a tough and stern man, was patient with Ritchie for a very long time. He and carol tried talking to him, reasoning with him, disciplining him, all that and above. It never got any better. How many threats can you actually receive?? How much deception can you deal with? Ritchie was a chemically unbalanced individual with an intense drug problem that was pushing his family over the edge. The shooting was extreme, but the father was threatened. And…I knew the family. I knew what was going on. His doped out friends are not to taken seriously.
DeleteRichie was a mess. A real train wreck headed for the ultimate disaster. Not just a druggie but a mental whack job also. The old man was justified. Play with fire 🔥 you will get burned.
ReplyDelete